


the tapestry

by saltedcaramelpops



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Past Relationship(s), Post-Time Skip, Reader-Insert, Sad and Sweet, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28728282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltedcaramelpops/pseuds/saltedcaramelpops
Summary: "And then he met the love of his life. The pretty woman that is now also an Akaashi," he said as his hand gestured to the blushing bride, "that holds my dear friend dearly, ever so lovingly that he forgot he was once broken. And will take care of him for evermore."
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	the tapestry

_I can't do this._

You said to yourself in front of the huge bathroom mirror, sweating in the cold, breathing slowly to calm yourself.

_Get a grip, for god's sake. It's not like you haven't attended a wedding before._

You took a deep breath and left the bathroom, finally getting yourself ready after spending an hour overthinking nothings. After blowing your hair dry and waterfall-braided it, you put on some decent makeup and put on a nice mauve knee-length bouffant dress you had picked two days earlier. For mere seconds, you were contemplating canceling your attendance as you stop by the mirror. You look at yourself, wondering if you'll be okay.

_No. Let's go. You were the one who put yourself in this situation anyway._

The drive to the venue was peaceful. The transition from autumn to winter has always been your favorite time of the year. The cool breeze, orange leaves on the pavements, people wearing coats and scarves, kids in their tiny gloves, and not to mention the autumn seasonal menu on your favorite local coffee shop. You stole glances to admire all the little beauties you encounter along the way to the venue, unintentionally ignoring the slow beat of the music you turned on earlier. Without realizing it, it helped you calm down and forget about your nervousness earlier.

When you arrived, the parking lot was almost full so it took more time than you anticipated to get your car parked. You took a glance at the clock on your dashboard to make sure you're not late, then of yourself through the rear-view mirror before you opened the door and step out of the car, making sure you look decent enough to show up to your special one's special day. You walk down the basement parking lot of the hotel, run a little towards the almost closed lift. You squeezed yourself in, managed to enter without embarrassing yourself being sandwiched between the closing doors. The people in the elevator smiled stiffly at you.

They rushed themselves out when the elevator bell chimes, made you have to maintain your balance so you won't trip on yourself. When you were busy finding your way, someone lightly tapped on your shoulder, too lightly that you almost didn't notice.

"Panda?"

_What?_

You turned around to find Miya Atsumu smiling ear to ear in his charming beige suit, his salmon pink tie tied loosely around his neck. His arms wide open, waiting for the long-lost-friend to embrace his well-built figure.

"I don't remember giving anyone permission to call me anything but my name, but he—"

"Ya missed me. There. Finished it for ya." You smacked his arm, not giving him the hug he wanted. He just chuckled at your annoyed face. "Hey, where's my I missed you where have you been hug?"

"Nah, you don't deserve it." You rolled your eyes at him. Like a child, he pouted at you, another reason for you to smack his arm. Although you sure he didn't feel a thing, he proceeded to complain.

"If ya keep doing that, ya seriously gonna be the reason I can't win my next match, Panda!" Again, you rolled your eyes at your dramatic friend. He then offered his arm for you to take, "also we can't keep flirting with each other at someone's wedding. Come."

"I. Am not. Flirting. Not with you, stupid." You glared at him, but continued to wrap your hand around his arm and walked side-to-side towards the ballroom.

The ballroom wasn't huge, but enough to fit fifty to sixty people. It wasn't a fancy wedding with hundreds of guests like the one you attended at Minato last month, but a warm wedding dinner with family and close friends. Some people were already on their seat when both of you reached the entrance, some still standing, talking to their friends, all looking so nice in pastels. Your eyes searched the room for anyone you know only to found Osamu who was busy tying his tie not far from your left, he wore the same suit and tie as his brother's. He caught you staring and smiled at you, you waved at him and returned his smile a second before Atsumu dragged you to your seat. He pulled your chair and presented it like you were a princess, you giggled before telling him to knock it off. The athlete smiled politely to the guests at your table before leaving to greet his teammates on the table next to yours. Although it was the first time you saw them in person, you knew some of Atsumu's teammates from his stories and the news.

You didn't know much of the guests, just the twins and some of your college friends who were too busy talking to their other friends across the room. You smiled at the people around your table, searching through your memory of the familiar face you can't recall the names. One was from your Comparative Literature class, but that was it. You cursed your goldfish-level memory for not being able to reckon any of your old acquaintances.

As Atsumu left you and you were too shy to talk to someone first, your heart began to beat wildly, your fingertips began to feel cold. Your heels were pounding the carpeted floor nervously without you knowing it. You squeezed your fingers, hoping that you could be calmer and less anxious.

Classical instrumental music started playing and people stopped talking, they turned their gaze towards the entrance, where the bride and groom walked in slowly, hand-in-hand. Their steps were in tune with the melody, calm and composed. The bride smiled sweetly at the guests she passed, her white dress sweeping the floor as she walked. Her black hair was put up into a neat, simple bun, with a tiny tiara over it and simple lace veils that reached her waist. She was holding a bouquet of white lilies with her left hand, matching her goddess-like attire. She was so pretty, you said to yourself as you breathed out a sigh of relief, your feet stopped moving anxiously. Before you know it, they've reached their seat at the round table in the front center of the room, joining their parents. He pulled her chair and helped her sit on it, making sure she won't ruin her dress as she sat, then sat on his seat. You didn't realize you were watching with a feeling of relief you never thought was possible.

A high-pitched static noise from the microphone on the little stage in the front center of the room caught everyone's attention, enough to make you take your eyes off the main stars of the night. A tall, big white-haired man, the only guy you know aside from the twins, was standing behind the microphone. He covered his ears while whining, "It doesn't like me—the microphone!", making the guests laugh. He greeted the guests kindly, as cheerful as he always was, occasionally making jokes to warm the atmosphere.

"I was surprised when he asked me to share my words for today, I was afraid to mess up an event that only happened once in his life, the most important night of his life. Tsum-Tsum even made me practice my public speaking after we practiced volleyball, just to make sure I won't be telling you guys nonsenses like what I am about to do now. Everyone pretended to be at a formal event and I told them about my friendship with 'Kaashi. 3 times." He said while pointing 3 fingers in the air. The guests laugh.

"And you messed up all three!" Atsumu scowled from his seat, making the guests laugh even more.

"Tsum-Tsum, you don't need to say it out loud!" He whined again, putting his index finger as if it would take Atsumu's words back. Bokuto then proceeded on telling his stories about Akaashi. You walked down your memory lane, remembering how Akaashi introduced him as his closest, almost one and only friend. You remember Akaashi telling you about his time at his high school volleyball club, and how Bokuto made him accompany him to practice spiking late into the night. You remember how his eyes sparkled every time he talked about his volleyball times. Even though you've only met Bokuto once, you were familiar with his voice, because he almost always called the former setter to tell him stories or ask about small things. You even lost count on how many times you and Akaashi were interrupted because Bokuto called him just to whine about the most trivial things.

"All the years I've spent being friends with him, he was always one to take care of everybody around him. 'Kaashi is the type of person who put everyone and everything before himself."

_"It's okay, you can cry as much as you want. I'm here." His voice was soothing, like cold water on a blazing summer day. He cupped your face with his hands, completely set his college works aside to focus his attention on you. He turned your face gently so you were looking into his deep gunmetal blue eyes. His thumbs caressed your wet cheeks, wiping the tears as you began to cry again. He pulled you into a warm embrace, never once did he mind that you were ruining his shirt with your tears. His hand gently rubbed small circles on your back. He held you close for over an hour until he was sure you had completely calmed down, he could've even done that for days if you'd ask. He didn't talk much, but he sure knew how to calm you down. His presence alone was enough to make you feel better, like a warm blanket on a cold night._

"If I didn't know better, I'd think Akaashi is bulletproof. There was one time when I came to Tokyo with the team to celebrate Myaa-Sam's newly-opened Tokyo branch of Onigiri Miya. I tried to make countless phone calls because 'Kaashi didn't show up which was kind of weird because one, he promised to come and he never bailed on promises, and two, it was Onigiri Miya! I even still have this strong belief that Akaashi loves onigiri more than he loves taking care of himself!" Bokuto comically pointed at Akaashi, shaking his head while laughing at the ace's words.

_Akaashi was panting, he stopped to breathe, finally gave up chasing you along the beach. He plopped down to the warm sand, his front facing the sun._

_"Why are you giving up?" You giggled as you watched your tired boyfriend dying on the sand, walking playfully towards him and sat next to him._

_"I have an energy limit, you have none," he said, his eyes squinted to avoid the sunlight. You giggled once again, putting his glasses on him._

_"There. Don't die." You placed a quick peck on his lips, making him blushed. You found it cute how he was always easily blushed because of the tiniest thing you do for him._

_"I won't if you didn't steal that in the first place." He sat up beside you, brushing the sand off his shirt. You helped him brush the rest off his back. He thanked you for that._

_Both of you sat there in silence, hands intertwined, your head on his shoulder and his head leaning on top of yours as you watch the sunset. Akaashi was never one who talk much, he was never the life of the party. All his life, people were always forcing him to talk more—to be more lively, they said. He learned that for some people, silence is not comfortable—some even find it killing, so he tried to meet their expectations. He tried his best, even if that meant he'd have to use all of his energy and got exhausted at the end of the day—although sometimes he questioned himself how can he be best-friends with Bokuto. It was moments like those that made him fell deeper into you. How you won't force him to talk much and just absorb the comfort you two were sharing in the silence. How you always understood without him having to tell you directly._

_"Hey," he finally broke the silence. You hummed in response, turning your face to him. His eyes turned to yours. He smiled at you, casually saying, "you're beautiful, you know?"_

_You jolted in surprise, averting his gaze and suddenly the sand seemed more interesting. You held your knees close to your chest and played with the sand. He chuckled, feeling butterflies on his stomach as the warm twilight touched your skin, making your figure glow. He was amazed at how prettier you got each time he saw you._

_He thought God was messing with him when you smiled at him that day at the Modern Literature class at your second semester of university, thinking that it must've been an illusion in his head. The first time you talked to him, he almost screamed his heart out in front of you, he never cared when you said you were only trying to be friendly. The first time you had lunch together—although Osamu was there, he had to deal with his wildly beating heart, Osamu noticed and teased him to death the next couple of days. The first time he heard your laughter, his heart skipped a beat. He made Osamu listen to him talking about you all day after that._

_"You're in love, dude," Osamu stated as he laid lazily on the upper bunk bed of their shared dorm room._

_"I am," Akaashi replied without reducing his concentration on the assignment he was working for._

_"Wow, you're not even trying to deny. That's good."_

_"Yeah." He chuckled._

_"Tell her then,"_

_"What?" He looked up to his friend._

_"What what?"_

_"Tell her what?"_

_"Duh. Akaashi-kun, I can't believe you are a top student in your major."_

_"Huh? What does it have to do with my major?"_

_Osamu sighed. "Your feelings."_

_"What?"_

_"I swear to God if you ask me what one more time, I'm gonna be the one who told her you love her."_

_"Oh," he turned back to his assignments for five seconds before turning back to look up to Osamu's bed. "How am I supposed to do that?"_

_Osamu groaned in desperation._

_It took him two months and four days to finally gathered his courage and confessed his feelings for you—Osamu probably lost some hair trying to convince him. When you told him the feeling was mutual, he almost died of a heart attack. He even called his mother and told her about you, and that was only the first day. He went back to the dorm with an ear to ear smile that Osamu had to throw a pillow to his face just to get him to pay attention to the things he was saying._

_"You're staring," you turned to him with a soft smile plastered on your face, bringing him back from his reminiscences._

_"I like the view," he replied, his hands taking yours, placing your palm to his chest so you could feel his heart beating fast, "although after all these years my heart hasn't got used to it."_

_You smiled, slowly leaning to his side. He took your hand off his chest and played with your fingers. You stayed in that position for a while, not saying anything, both being so comfortable around each other._

_Of the many things that he wasn't sure about in his life, Akaashi was absolute, a hundred percent, sure that he found you at the right time. It wasn't just the time, everything about being with you was just right. The almost-silent midnight calls when you were away from each other, the reheated takeouts, the cheesy romance movies at the cinema, even the fights over who gets the blanket at 2 am when you were both asleep. You were always the one who wakes up first, he would wake an hour after–on weekends it would be two. He would sit on the chair, patiently waiting for you to finish watering your little pots of plants on the tiny balcony of your shared apartment. You would tell him you had made him breakfast but he wouldn’t have it without you. On some mornings in which he hasn’t had enough sleep due to his deadlines, he would fall asleep on the dining table waiting for you. After breakfast, he would insist to do the dishes and would ask you to shower or do anything you want. On most weekends, he would sit on the sofa reading a book while you lay down, head on his lap, reading another book, or playing video games. Sometimes you would ask if he’d want to go out and if he said yes, you’d spent another hour choosing where to go. The choices were usually nothing fancy, it’s usually a walk to the park, the bookstore across the street, or the museum, he never really cared as long as he gets to be with you. On a rare occasion, he would take you to a fancy diner and asked you to dress up. He once took you to a French restaurant Osamu had recommended him with exquisite interior and ordered things on the menu you can’t even pronounce, both would be shocked at the small portions of beautifully-presented food the waiters delivered to the table and would go straight to a local ramen shop after. At times when you had to leave the town for work, he would never give you a call without asking for your permission first. He never wanted to bother you, even after the hundredth of times of you telling him that he was never a bother to you. when he got super stressed by work, came home grumpy and not answering your questions. Even when he almost set the house on fire because he forgot to turn off the stove when he tried to make you soup. Even when he mistook the salt for sugar when he tried to make you a cup of tea. You never, even for once, considered him a bother. He never will._

_“You know,” he said, taking a few seconds pause before he continued, “I was actually gonna wait until we’re home but I can’t wait that long.”_

_“What?” you asked, still leaning on his side._

_“I love you.”_

_“You know I love you too.”_

_“Yes. I mean, no. I mean yes, but please let me finish this.” He said in a serious tone. You straighten up your sitting. “I’ve told you that I have fallen in love with you long before I confessed. It was never easy for me to understand my own feelings, let alone express them. That’s why it took me a long time. Confessing was probably the hardest thing I’ve done in my life at that time. I was afraid of rejection, that you didn’t like me back, but you do, you even said you love me, that was the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. I almost passed out in front of you. What am I? A kid?”_

_He chuckled at his own words. He shifted his position, now facing your side. You smiled at him, not missing the hint of blush on his cheeks, and turned to face him._

_“As you entered my life, I got incredibly happy, knowing that the person I love, loves me back in return. The first time we fought, I know I was a little too blunt about my arguments and I’ve hurt your feelings. When you walked out the door, my heart stopped. I was scared that you would not like that side of me and walk away. I am a man of a mess, I’m aware of that, and although I will never be ready, I know it’s not impossible for you to not like me. But you never did. Instead, you chose to stay. And all the times I spent with you and for you, are the times I am eternally grateful for. You are the one thing in my life I am most grateful for, worth all of my wishes combined. I’ve had the time of my life with you. But I want to have the time of our lives, with you.”_

_A tear escaped you as he held out a tiny leather box that seemed decades-old. He opened it to show a delicate gold ring with an oval emerald on the center, cut into facets, surrounded by tiny solitaire diamonds. His breathing was steady. His blue eyes looked straight into yours, never was he seemed that confident and sure, you noticed that about him._

_“Please, marry me.” His voice was calm and composed, not a single tone of hesitation was heard._

_It wasn’t a question. It was a request. Your heart skipped a beat, maybe two. Your chest tightens, breathing wasn’t as easy as you used to know. Tears streamed down your face, but no gleam of excitement shown in your eyes. It scared you. You stayed silent. Your brain was still processing all the years you’ve been through, the feelings, the memories. You were sure you loved Akaashi Keiji with all your heart. You were sure he was the main reason for your happiness at least the last five and a half years of your life. You were sure he is a good, responsible man. You always trusted him. You never doubted him._

_“I– You–“ you wiped your tears after a few minutes, trying your best to breathe first._

_He looked at you, eyes full of hope._

_“I– I’m… I’m sorry,”_

_He blinked a few times._

_“Keiji,” his eyes never leaving yours. You held his hands in yours, closing the tiny box in the process. “I love you. I do. I’m sorry.”_

_“What do you mean?” he asked, almost whispered, in all confusion._

_“Keiji, I can’t.”_

_He didn’t ask any more questions. He just stared at your hands wrapping his. He was silent. The only voice you could hear was the sound of waves and the wind. You never knew what he was thinking, how he was processing your answer. He stood up after a good seven minutes of silence and offered you a hand._

_“Let’s go back.”_

_You took his hand and stood up, both walked towards where the car parked. Him ahead of you, his right hand still holding yours, the left one holding the leather ring box. He put the box on the cupholder on the left side of the driver’s seat. The drive home was silent, not a single word from both parties. You were used to a comfortable silence with him, but this silence was killing you. And the worst thing was, you knew it was your fault._

_As you unlocked your apartment door and walked inside, Akaashi waited for a few moments on the door before you turned to look at him. He looked at you for a second and walked inside, took his shoes off on the genkan, then proceed to sit on the sofa._

_“Keiji, I’m gonna–“_

_“Yeah, you go first.” He cut your sentence to your surprise._

_“Okay.”_

_You walked into the bedroom, closing the door quietly, walked to the bed, and plopped on your back as you stared blankly at the ceiling. You wondered what would happen after today, after you let him down. For as long as you remember, he has never done anything to hurt you, yet you really have the heart to hurt him in the worst possible way. You wondered if you’d be able to live with this huge of guilt burdening your heart. Your chest tightens as you told yourself to calm down. You tried breathing regularly, but you ended up sobbing, your sight became blurry, tears streamed uncontrollably. You cried your heart out in silence for quite long until you heard a knock on your door._

_“Yeah?” you responded, wiping your tears, and tried to sound fine._

_“Were you… crying in there?” he sounded fine._

_“I… uh–“_

_“I’m going for a walk.”_

_“Whe–“_

_“Just go to bed.” He sure wouldn’t let you finish._

_“Wh– Okay..”_

_You waited for him that night. He didn’t come back until you fell asleep, eyes tired from crying. When you woke up in the morning, you found him sleeping on the dining table, he sat on the chair with his face buried in his folded arms. His glasses on the floor. You picked it up and pulled out a chair across him and sat there, not saying nor doing anything. He didn’t look like he was going to wake up for another ten minutes, so you decided to talk to his sleeping form since he wouldn’t let you finish your sentences last night, hand stroking his raven hair._

_“Keiji… Honey, I’m sorry I have broken your heart in the worst way. I love you, I do. I kept asking myself too, but I’m sorry, I couldn’t give a reason. You’re a good man, the best man I have ever known, everybody knows that. I never was ready, so I’m letting you go. You’ll find the real thing inste–” you were cut off by his hand grabbing yours off the top of his head._

_“I– I’m sorry.” You said in surprise, a tear escaped you involuntarily._

_“Don’t. It’s okay.” His tired eyes looked at your teary ones. You can see hurt behind the smile he was giving you._

_Goddamn, why are you making this so hard?_

_You nodded, wiping your tears. Both of you stayed there in silence for a good hour, his hand still holding yours from before._

_“I got to go.” He said. His eyes were on your holding hands. “I’m moving out. If you need anything, please just call me. Don’t bury yourself under your trails of negative thoughts.”_

_He sat up and placed a kiss on your forehead before going to the bathroom to wash his face and grabbed his loaded backpack that you never noticed was laying on the kitchen floor. And with only that backpack, he left._

"Sometimes when I was not the one he was taking care of, I thought to myself, when will this man be the one being taken care of?" Bokuto continued his speech, his golden eyes starting to get teary. "And then he met the love of his life. The pretty woman that is now also an Akaashi," he said as his hand gestured to the blushing bride, "that holds my dear friend dearly, ever so lovingly that he forgot he was once broken. And will take care of him for evermore."

A tear escaped you involuntarily. You always thought it’d be hard for you to see him with another person. But if that means he has found his happiness, his real thing, then it’s a good thing for you too.

_She’ll patch up your tapestry that I shred, Keiji._

**Author's Note:**

> Some aspects of the story were written based on my personal experience, but the plot was inspired by Taylor Swift's champagne problems. This is my first published story so please excuse the mess heheh♥


End file.
